A group of Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union locals have endorsed incumbents Monica Garcia and Steve Zimmer, as well as Antonio Sanchez, in their races for school board.

“These candidates demonstrate a real appreciation for the role that student services workers play in a child’s learning,” said Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, which represents LAUSD’s 30,000 classified employees, such as custodians and bus drivers. (Read the full press release here.)

The SEIU Local 99 was a powerful force in the 2011 school board elections, spending more than $1 million in Independent Expenditure campaigns, the lion’s share going to Luis Sanchez, who lost a close race to Bennett Kayser. They are something of a swing union – their endorsements don’t consistently match up with those of either the teachers union or the Coalition for School Reform.

Today’s news means board member Zimmer has been endorsed by both major educational unions.